Ruinstars

Devlog

• Custom Squads - Build your own!
  August 10, 2026 by ruinstars

  Each of the factions in Ruinstars defines a clear identity and a distinct approach to getting the job done. But you may have minis that don’t fit any of them. Until now your options were to proxy th... Continue reading
• Silent Choir Balance Updates
  July 13, 2026 by ruinstars#silent choir, #balance, #updates, #game design

  Our last update gave every Silent Choir unit tier more weapons and skills to choose from. Good for build variety, but it also pushed the whole squad’s numbers up further than we intended, and blurre... Continue reading

  
• Squad Specialties
  June 29, 2026 by ruinstars#updates, #balance, #game design

  Specialties used to be locked to your squad type. Every Interdictor squad ran Duty Before Death. Every Despoiler squad ran Pain Is Strength. The mission, the matchup, your own preferences, none of it... Continue reading
• Missions Update: One Book, Three Modes
  June 12, 2026 by ruinstars#campaigns, #game design, #missions, #narrative play

  Second edition was built around PvE. That was the right call at the time., but it meant PvP and Horde Mode were left on older foundations, with different objectives, different structure, and enough fr... Continue reading
• Praxium Corps Balance Updates
  June 09, 2026 by ruinstars#balance, #balance updates, #game design

  The Praxium Corps were always intended to be a high-skill, high-lethality Squad. But as we played missions, we realized a few things: They’re generally overpowered Their skills and specialisms didn... Continue reading

  
• Combat Saves and Weapon Updates
  May 21, 2026 by ruinstars#game design, #combat, #balance

  In current rules and weapon setups, we roll one save die for each point of damage dealt by the attacker. With Ranged Combat rules saying that a critical save blocks two points of damage, it means that... Continue reading

  
• Squad Updates: More Ways to Play, More Ways to Fight
  May 09, 2026 by ruinstars#game design, #balance updates

  Ruinstars is built around the idea that every squad has a clear identity. The Drone Pod floods the table. The Silent Choir dismantles it from the inside. The Despoilers get in close and make it hurt... Continue reading

  
• Campaigns, Injuries, and Spoils of War
  May 03, 2026 by ruinstars#game design, #campaigns

  Ruinstars is built around the idea that every decision carries weight. Campaign play is where that weight accumulates: across three missions, across an operation, across a squad that’s been through... Continue reading
• Bespoke Campaigns
  April 07, 2026 by ruinstars

  After a lot of time writing and testing and rewriting and fixing objectives, our first bespoke campaign is ready! This is an investigative campaign for Hegemony squads following a mysterious signal ba... Continue reading

  
• PvE Missions and Objectives
  March 31, 2026 by ruinstars

  Original posted to the Ruinstars blog I’ve been working on the objectives in the PvE missions for Ruinstars . The mechanics are solid, but in a full PvE campaign of 9 missions (3 operations with 3 m... Continue reading
• Ruinstars 2nd Edition is Live!
  March 12, 2026 by ruinstars

  Ruinstars is a free, miniatures-agnostic sci-fi skirmish wargame about elite squads on dark-ops missions in a dying galaxy. Solo, coop, and competitive play. D6 only. Sessions run 45-60 minutes. If th... Continue reading
• 2nd Edition: What Changed and Why
  March 10, 2026 by ruinstars

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  Second edition of Ruinstars launches in a few days. Before it does, I want to talk about why it exists. The measurement problem is finally solved When the game launched, it was grid-only. Then Paces... Continue reading
• Endure the Endless: Introducing Horde Mode
  December 12, 2025 by ruinstars

  We’ve been hard at work on something new for Ruinstars , and we’re excited to finally talk about it. Horde Mode is our upcoming solo and cooperative survival mode, built from the ground up to push... Continue reading
• Factions, Missions, Campaign Updates
  December 01, 2025 by ruinstars

  We are thrilled to release the latest version of the Ruinstars rules! This major update introduces three new Squad Types and integrates new combat philosophies. We have also refined the primary missio... Continue reading
• From Grids to Paces: Rethinking Movement in Ruinstars
  October 04, 2025 by ruinstars

  From Grids to Paces: Rethinking Movement in Ruinstars Ruinstars began as a grid-based wargame. My goal was to avoid the headaches of free-measuring (“You moved an extra half-inch!”), but while the... Continue reading
• Scripted Operations are Live!
  September 19, 2025 by ruinstars

  Scripted Operations are now live! These narrative operations with branching missions tell a story and are tailored to a combination of two squad types. There are 10 scripted operations so far; we will... Continue reading

  
• Telling a Story: Scripted Operations
  September 15, 2025 by ruinstars#missions, #operations, #narrative play, #game design

  While our Primary and Secondary Missions can be combined to create a full 3-operation/9-mission campaign, they don’t really tell a story. With that in mind, we started writing and prototyping script... Continue reading
• Big news and updates!
  September 12, 2025 by ruinstars

  Lots of changes since the last devlog, so I will try to summarize everything here! Rules Update - Attacks of Opportunity We added a rule for Attacks of Opportunity . In short, when a unit moves out of... Continue reading

  
• Factions, Tokens, Battlefields
  June 28, 2025 by ruinstars

  Big Update! New factions: The Crimson Shroud, Outer Claim, Eidolon Revenants Print-at-home tokens Three new print-at-home battlefields Rules updates and fixes Battlefields We added three new battlefie... Continue reading

  
• Launched!
  June 02, 2025 by ruinstars

  After two years of development, playtesting, and tweaking, I am proud to release Ruinstars to the community! This game is for everyone, and your feedback will be invaluable to ensure it’s a fun and... Continue reading